Are honey bees really that important?

Honey bees are a sign of prosperity, sustainability, and environmentalalism for many people. However, as a honey bee expert, I can assure you that only the first item on that list can be justified. Honey bees, while beneficial to agriculture, destabilise natural ecosystems by competing with native bees, some of which are endangered species.

Hobby beekeeping, which is now a popular pastime for hundreds of millions of Americans, grew in popularity as a result of public awareness initiatives to “save the bees.” Honey bees, on the other hand, are the least endangered species. The media disproportionately favours them over natural pollinators, and muddled messaging has caused many citizens, including me, to believe that wearing a beekeeper’s veil is helping the environment. Regrettably, they are most likely causing more harm than good. Call today for professional free honey bee removal services.

The Importance of Bees

Bees are so amazing! Here are ten reasons why bees are essential and helpful to people and the environment.
Some of these reasons are well-known, but there may be a few on our list that you hadn’t considered before!

Bees and Their Importance:

1. Pollination Bees

Pollination Bees are beneficial because they help to supply nourishment in the form of fruits, berries, nuts, leaves, roots, and seeds through their pollination services.
The elements of our nutrition that rely on bees (and other pollinators) for cross pollination are arguably the most interesting.
Sheila Colla, an assistant professor and conservation biologist at York University in Toronto, Canada, argues, “Beekeeping is for people; it’s not a conservation practise.” “People incorrectly believe that preserving honey bees or assisting honey bees helps native bees, who are in danger of extinction.”

2. The significance of bees in food webs

Bees pollinate the foods that other animals and birds eat.
It’s also worth noting that pollination benefits some domesticated animals as well!
For instance, cows eat alfalfa, which is pollinated by bees (leafcutter bee species are especially effective). As you can see, bees play an important role in the food chain!

3. Bees’ contribution to the economy in terms of money

For some, a thing must be assigned a monetary worth in order to be considered valuable (although for me, the natural world is to be appreciated and valued in its own right).
The contribution of bees to the food crop business has been attempted, however it is extremely difficult to quantify. Bees are thought to provide $US40 billion each year, according to estimates from 2010.
Honey bees alone contribute $15 billion to food production in the United States, according to the American Beekeeping Federation. For crops like almonds, honey bees are critically necessary.

4. Bees contribute to biodiversity.

Aside from pollination being critical for food production, bees contribute significantly to the countryside, gardens, and overall landscape enrichment.
As a result, bees are good to the environment in general. They pollinate wild flowers and bushes, enriching and ensuring plant richness and attractiveness in gardens and landscapes.

5. Bees are necessary for trees!

Bees pollinate a wide range of plants, not just flowers and food crops.
Many trees are pollinated by bees, which is often overlooked (and other insects).

Environmental protection and biodiversity

Bees are essential for maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity in the natural world. They perform one of the most well-known environmental services, namely pollination, which is necessary for food production. They contribute to genetic and biotic variety through protecting and maintaining habitats, as well as animal and plant species.
Bees can also be used to gauge the state of the ecosystem. Their presence, absence, or amount alerts us when something is wrong with the environment and that we need to take action. It is feasible to detect changes in the environment and implement essential precautionary measures in time by watching the development and health of bees.